Kristen Henderlong

This week I just want to share a prayer with you.  Maybe it will encourage you to connect with God in a deeper way.

I forget so easily that prayer is powerful; not just for requests, but for genuine connection with our God.

Will you pray with me?

Jesus,

You are so good.  I am so thankful You are Holy, constant and true in a world full of relative truth, unreliable people and endless pain and suffering.  Where there seems to be nothing to stand on, you remain.  I praise You for the hope we can have in you because of what You have done for us, in spite of the darkness around us and within us.

I want to be better at hearing from you.  I do a lot of telling you things and not a lot of listening.  My spirit is weak and restless.  I catch myself distracted and consumed by petty things.  I catch myself reacting to people instead of intentionally responding to them.  I get frustrated with my short comings and forget that You are always here.  I spend a lot of time thinking and judging rather than receiving and believing. I often let fear determine my decisions and take over my mind.

Remind me of Your presence with me always.  I am so sorry I get so caught up in the world.  I am sorry I don’t always have the confidence to go against the grain and embrace You.  I am sorry I put other people and other things before you more than I would like to admit.  

You know me and You know my heart.  You know the things I have endured, the pain I carry and the ways it has affected my character.  Continue to search me and make Your home in me.  Continue to cleanse me and make me aware of how to surrender to You… not because You demand it, but because You know it’s the only way to freedom and oneness with You.  I want to genuinely desire to know You deeper.  I want to desire to be better for YOUR glory and not my own.  I want to share the hope that I have with boldness and reckless abandon.

Don’t let me get lost in trying to perform for You.  I am sorry I tend to think I have to do something to look better to others… and to feel better about myself.  You have taught me that’s not what You desire.  But I struggle to believe it sometimes.  I know You just want my heart and my devotion.  I know it’s not about outward things, it’s about stilling my heart before You.

Thank You for Your patience and mercy.  I wouldn’t be here without Your grace.  I love You the best way I know how to.  I want to love You more.  I trust You are working in me.  So today I open my hands and fix my eyes on You.

In Your name,

Amen.